Support End Knife Crime & Support Youth Campaign

Now, our focus is clear:

We’re campaigning to end knife crime in East Kilbride and across South Lanarkshire by empowering youth, engaging decision-makers, and mobilising the community.

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The Crisis: Knife Crime & Failing Support Systems

Knife crime is rising — and our young people are most at risk.

• In 2024 alone, 91 children under the age of 18 were caught carrying knives or bladed weapons in Scotland — one every four days.

• In South Lanarkshire, violent crime rose 21% between 2018 and 2022, yet youth services continue to decline.

• In East Kilbride Central North, the local crime rate is now at 97 crimes per 1,000 residents, among the highest in the region.

Behind every statistic is a young person — often isolated, vulnerable, and unsupported. Local families are crying out for intervention, but preventative services and community engagement tools are under-resourced or unavailable.

What Your Donation Will Fund

We have momentum. We have local backing. But to take this campaign further, we urgently need your support.

Your donation will help us:

✅ Launch targeted online advertising and leaflet campaigns, focusing on anti-knife crime awareness, particularly in areas most at risk.

✅ Engage political and civic stakeholders — including councillors, MP, MSP, Police Scotland, and South Lanarkshire Council, Charitys, Youth Organisations, Business Leaders — to take meaningful, coordinated action.

✅ Deliver community-based advocacy and signposting, helping young people and their families connect with mentoring, mental health support, and guidance.

✅ Amplify local stories — of hope, hardship, and resilience — to highlight why this campaign matters.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about tackling crime. It’s about offering our youth a reason to believe in their future.

Knife carrying among young people is rarely about intent to harm — it’s about fear, peer pressure, and hopelessness. Without visible alternatives, too many young people fall into a cycle of violence, mistrust, and trauma.

We want to break that cycle by making East Kilbride a town where:

• Youth are heard, valued, and supported

• Families have access to community-led safety networks

• Political leadership responds to grassroots concerns

• Preventative action is taken before another life is lost

Our Mission

This campaign is the next step in our wider community strategy. We’re calling for:

• A local knife crime task force

• School-based intervention and prevention initiatives

• Youth spaces, mentoring schemes, and mental health support

• A visible reduction in knife-related offences and associated harm

But we can’t do this without visibility. We need awareness. And we need funding to get there.

Be Part of the Solution

Every donation helps us stay independent, grassroots-led, and free at the point of access — exactly as it should be.

We’ve already achieved so much:

• Grown our EKNW membership to 280+

• Established East Kilbride’s first community-wide Neighbourhood Watch

• Run petitions, gained press coverage, and initiated meaningful dialogue with officials

Now, we’re asking for your help to scale up and make a bigger difference.

How You Can Help

Donate whatever you can — no matter the amount. You do not need to tip GoFundMe you can drag the bar to zero so 100% of your donation goes to the cause.

Share this fundraiser with friends, family, and colleagues.

Speak up about what’s happening in our community.

Every action counts. Every pound goes directly to advancing this campaign — to change attitudes, shape policy, and protect lives.

Knife crime is not inevitable. With collaboration, awareness, and the right support, we can turn the tide — and build a community where no young person feels safer carrying a weapon than asking for help.

Thank you for believing in our mission.

Thank you for standing with East Kilbride’s youth.

#EndKnifeCrime #SupportOurYouth #EastKilbrideUnited #CommunitySafety #TogetherWeCan